And though at first glance it may seem like it was a totally boring and uneventful day, we were really happy to just stay home for the majority of it, tidying up, unpacking our getaway bags, getting shit done, putting shit away, and just catching up on SHIT.

And when we did head out to grab some groceries, the most eventful part was baby girl going up to random people and asking “are you my best friend?” and then shouting “Mama!” repeatedly when I disappeared into another aisle without her.

LOL.

It was a very cruisy and chilled day, but it was just as we liked it, which made it a success.

It’s not common of us to stay home when we have days off together, let alone when we go away. But today Hubbie had a great thought while we were out grabbing some food for lunch.

“Why don’t we do a bbq back at home?”

Home,for these two nights anyway, has been the place in Barwon Heads we’ve been staying at. Our balcony looks out onto the street, and there is a small yet very practical outdoor electric barbeque for use.

Sure, it meant we would have to do some extra prep here and there. But for some reason it appealed to me. Dinner by us,at home. I think it appealed in some level to all of us. We could relax. Go at our own pace. Baby girl could float in and out of the rooms as she pleased. We didn’t have to stress about noise levels. The toilet was right there. It was cheaper. And I could wear trakkies on the balcony if I wanted to.

It was great. The sun was shining; fellow apartment dwellers were on the same thread and bbq-ing out in the sun like we were; we waved from up high to passers-by; and then sat down to eat our simple spread.

Sure, we grabbed some takeaway chips too, just to add to that can’t-be-f$%ed holiday vibe. But it was different, it was relaxing, and though we were only at home, we still felt like, we were away.

I have the fortunate problem of having too much to be grateful for today.

Nah. NEVER too much gratitude to be had.

It was a truly blissful and relaxing day. It really did feel like we were on holiday. Aside from the quiet reading I did at the park while Hubbie played some b-ball

And the great time we had at my Uncle and Aunty’s place taking in mother nature, her finest and most organic produce, and the surrounds of heavenly greenery

(My Uncle’s bees drinking water around the large bowl)

It was what we did at 10:30am that had us in absolute awe.

We started off once again with no real plans after the kinder drop off was done… Hubbie mentioned coffee, it was to be guaranteed to follow on Main street, and when we appeared to be reading each other’s minds with the same café – Store Fifteen – I had to add, due to proximity’s sake –

“Why don’t we walk down to the pier?”

This man of mine loves sitting down to drink his coffee – not many takeaway cups there. But, the water called.

“Sure.”

We took our large latte and regular cappuccino, and wandered down the path in between the curving coastline and huge park that baby girl loves to frequent, until we reached closer water.

From here on out, I think I’ll let the photos do the talking.

It was so incredibly peaceful. There were people about, yes. But it was still. It was quiet. We stayed at the tip of the pier the longest, looking out at the world beyond.

A nearby fisherman spoke to us, telling us he had waited for this perfect Summer’s Day for weeks. Mid 20s, 6km winds… it was the perfect day for fishing.

And we had stumbled upon it.

We listened to the fishermens banter about bait, took in some more sunshine and pristine water views, I made small talk with a seagull… and off we went, making thanks for such a tremendously glorious sight, and vowing that the Mornington Pier walk would become a part of our wanders and visits, a bit more often.

I actually was just going to be happy and grateful about relaxing at home and catching up on stuff on a Sunday, something I’m sure I have posted about before in one way or another, but then I came here online and was like, wait,what…???

…700?!

700?!

So today, I am celebrating 700 days of gratitude. Some days are big gratitude, some days are small, but all in all Itry, and at the end of the day, that’s all I can do.

A new Summer tradition has developed in our family, off the back of baby girl’s newly acquired addiction…

That is, ice cream.

She will be half-way through her dinner when she will turn to either Hubbie or myself, and say something along the lines of “Me finish ALL my dinner – then please have ice cream, PLEASE?!?!?!”

She will be in our faces, tone pleading, eyes squinty, hands clasped together in prayer mode, and there is NO WAY you can ignore her.

I have no issue with her getting a treat after she has eaten her food, fine.

But she is doing this every night.

I figure because she does eat the food in all her meals, she is allowed to then receive a treat, and I let her know this too – no eaten dinner, no treat!

Tonight’s request was made harder to ignore, because I suddenly remembered I needed something urgently at the shops… so we all headed down there after dinner, and soon ALL3 of us were standing and staring through the glass windows of the frozen aisle.

Hubbie picked the classic Magnum Almond…

I picked the exciting small tub of Arnott’s Caramel Crowns…

and baby girl picked the Paw Patrol chocolate and vanilla ice cream

And then we went home to do what we do so often after dinner. Sit out the front of the house and enjoy.

And you know what, it is a nice thing to do. We’re taking all of 5-10 minutes out of the busy evenings to just sit, be peaceful, watch the dog-walkers go by, the sunset fade into the horizon, and the mozzies start to hover perilously close… just enough time to forget about the dishes waiting for us in the sink, to forget about the house we have to tidy, to forget the baths, the showers, the getting ready for the next day, for EVERYTHING.

I could be grateful that we spent a good portion of the day shopping, and got a bit more of our Christmas list ticked off… but with all that has been happening with life lately, the busyness, the reality and the true meaning of it, I just ain’t feeling the grateful shopping vibe.

Another day, maybe. Today, it feels too materialistic for the realisations that the day brought us. And maybe, I’m sick of spending so much $$$ in the festive lead-up.

Instead, I had the best time after we got home. We had driven home in the sunny sunshine, and then spent the afternoon not doing so much. In line with this relaxed vibe we got some charcoal chicken, but maybe also (ahem, HUGELY) due to the fact that our kitchen is still a W.I.P.

I had so much on my mind, and laid it all out to Hubbie.

We decided in a change of plans. We have been discussing a simpler, easier, more stress-free, carefree and happier life for about week now, but it was decided for sure tonight, that that WAS going to happen.

Life is short. We are only here once. We plan so much for the future, and often, things change so much. We need to be willing to adapt, roll with the punches, and attune ourselves to our environment in order to survive.

What we were sure of years ago, we are now not so. So we are changing. I am grateful for the relaxed Sunday vibes that allowed us to get to that place, and I am happy that my husband is also in the same ‘place,’ as I am.